A group of current and former inmates at Multnomah County's Iverness Jail are suing the county for failing to keep them safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Credit: MULTNOMAH COUNTY
A group of current and former inmates at Multnomah Countys Iverness Jail are suing the county for failing to keep them safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A group of current and former inmates at Multnomah County’s Iverness Jail are suing the county for failing to keep them safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. MULTNOMAH COUNTY

Good morning, Portland! Time to crank up the music and settle into your Friday.

Here are the headlines.

• An expert medical witness in the trial against Derek Chauvin has confirmed that George Floyd did indeed die from a lack of oxygen (because of the knee on his neck)—rather than from the fentanyl found in his system, something a lot of conservative dirtbags have been trying to claim this week.

• President Joe Biden released his first 2022 fiscal year budget proposal this morning. The proposed budget includes big increases in spending for education, health care, housing, and climate initiatives.

• A group of current and former inmates at Multnomah County’s Iverness Jail are suing the county for failing to keep them safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. (To learn more about the utterly dangerous conditions Multnomah County inmates were put in, check out our own Alex Zielinski’s reporting on the issue here and here.)

• New data from the Oregon Health Authority shows that “a very small proportion” of Oregonians fully vaccinated against COVID still contracted the virus. This is a reminder that no vaccine is 100 percent effective—but they certainly help a lot.

• Speaking of COVID in Oregon: All adults become eligible for the vaccine on April 19, but the state likely won’t have enough vaccine doses on hand for everyone who wants a shot right away—meaning it could be difficult for state officials to ensure Oregon’s vaccine equity goals are met.

• And now here’s some good local news:

• Amazon appears to have successfully curtailed the attempted unionization of an Alabama warehouse—but organizers plan to challenge the preliminary vote results, saying Amazon used illegal tactics to dissuade employees from unionizing, and therefor the votes aren’t valid.

• Prince Phillip, the husband of England’s Queen Elizabeth II and a mildly interesting character on The Crown, has died at 99 years old.

• And finally, an inspiring redemption story:

Blair Stenvick is a former news reporter and culture writer for the Portland Mercury.